numnums: Filipino Food Edition

We had a special lunchtime guest today at numnums and cooked up a special Filipino food feast for the crew. It was also my first time trying some of the classic Filipino dishes so it was exciting for me to help cook and eat the food.

On the menu: chicken adobo, cauliflower rice, lumpia, salad, torta talong (eggplant torta). My favorites were the chicken adobo and lumpia with a tasty sauce.

chicken adobo

Another highlight of lunch was when our guest grilled peaches for dessert. Grilled peaches with a scoop of bourbon vanilla ice cream topped with marcona almonds and all sprinkled with cayenne and black pepper, oh wow.

Recipe: Kabocha Pork Stir-Fry

I love all things pumpkin, sweet potato, chestnut, acorn squash, and kabocha squash is no exception. In fact, kabocha is my favorite type of winter squash. Whether you steam, bake, stir-fry, stuff it or eat it plain, sweet, or savory, kabocha is very versatile. Growing up in a Korean household, we always made soup with kabocha and even now, I much prefer its taste over pumpkin or butternut squash soup. It works well in both sweet or savory dishes so it's not surprising to find kabocha paste in Korean pastries or in Korean spicy chicken dishes. One of my favorite snacks is actually steamed kabocha drizzled with peanut butter. I came across this recipe for kabocha pork stir-fry and was eager to give it a go.

Kabocha Pork Stir-Fry

Adapted from Just One Cookbook

Serves 2 as a main dish or 3 as a side dish

Ingredients

Seasoning A

½ tsp soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

Seasoning B

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp oyster sauce

½ lb ground pork or beef

½ lb kabocha squash

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp gochujang

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine Seasoning A and the meat. Mix well and set aside.

Remove kabocha seeds with a spoon and cut into thin slices.

In a microwave-safe container, put sliced kabocha inside. Pour 1 tbsp water on top and close the lid.

Microwave it for ~2 minutes but do not overcook as it will break easily when stir-frying.

Combine Seasoning B in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat oil on medium heat and cook garlic until fragrant.

Add the meat and cook until it is cooked through.

Add gochujang and mix well.

Add kabocha and mix all together.

When kabocha is fully cooked, add Seasoning B and mix all together.

Serve immediately over rice or as a side.

Verbena

I'm usually not a strong supporter of brunch because #1 I'm usually too hungry to wait till mid-morning to eat and #2 there's always a wait for brunch in SF and when I'm already hungry, waiting even more is the last thing I want to do. But once in a blue moon I do enjoy brunch, especially if the meal is more than the average scrambled eggs and toast and when restaurants take brunch reservations.

Fitting these requirements, my friend and I trekked over to Verbena on Saturday morning. Always looking for a unique dish and with a craving for something sweet, I ordered the red corn pancakes while my friend got scrambled eggs on grilled bread. The pancakes had an interesting flavor and grainy texture from the red corn. I probably won't order it again but I appreciated that it was aesthetically beautiful, light, and not overly sweet. My friend didn't like the pancakes at all but declared his egg dish the best brunch dish he's had. With that said, I'd like to try some of Verbena's other brunch dishes as well as their dinner options!

red corn pancakes with lemon verbena braised strawberries, gravenstein apples, seville orange butter, basil;
grilled country bread with scrambled eggs and chicken skin, poblano, heirloom tomatoes, cheddar puree, avocado

Park Tavern

Still going strong with my burger crawl, I set out tonight to try the "marlowe" burger. Available at three sister restaurants in SF, I decided upon Park Tavern to get the burger because the menu had more variety than at Marlowe or The Cavalier. Unfortunately the burger was not the best in SF as so many people have reported back. I liked the addition of crispy bacon but there was too much cheese and found the patty extremely salty. The fries were quite good though.

Prior to digging into the burger, we ordered the deviled eggs and braised lamb tongue. Park Tavern's deviled egg is THE BEST I've ever had. It's going to be tough to ever top it. I enjoyed the braised lamb tongue as it was very unique to me. I've had beef tongue before but lamb tongue? I'm happy to write that it's delicious and almost reminiscent of a bratwurst.

We were both pretty full but couldn't resist trying the seasonal "birthday" cake, particularly because just that morning 7x7 had rated Park Tavern's cake as one of SF's 7 best cakes. I don't remember the last time I had cake, let alone such tasty cake. We got a few stares as the cake is presented with a lit birthday candle but as I made a wish and blew out the candle, it almost really felt like my birthday :-)

smoked deviled eggs with bacon, pickled jalapeno & chive 

braised lamb tongue with french fingerling potatoes, mustard greens, soft cooked hen egg & horseradish

"marlowe" burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, bacon, horseradish aioli & fries

september "birthday" cake: champagne chiffon cake with tawny port infused pears & mascarpone cheese

Seattle Part 4

Our last breakfast in Seattle was my favorite! Oddfellows Cafe & Bar was on my must-visit list and highly recommended by several people so I made sure to incorporate it into our trip. The interior of the restaurant is rustic-themed and gorgeous. I ordered the biscuit & eggs, which was divine. I never knew I even liked biscuits. I was also excited to try Stumptown coffee for the first time. My friend got the brioche french toast with mascarpone & maple syrup, which was a really thick slice of brioche and ridiculously delicious. Oddfellows's dinner menu looks delicious as well so it's on my list for my next Seattle trip.

After breakfast we walked around Capitol Hill and took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, where we walked around some more. Once we got back from the island, we stopped at Piroshky Piroshky to try some Russian pastries. Flaky, fatty, and greasy, the beef and onion piroshky was good. The coffee cinnamon roll piroshky wasn't as sweet as I'd expected and quite forgettable. I would have gotten the apple cinnamon roll but as a popular spot, a lot of the pastries were sold out. Next time! As a last hurrah to Seattle, we also stopped at Beecher's Handmade Cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. It was perfectly melted and crusty.

Thanks for a fun and tasty time Seattle.

oddfellows cafe & bar: biscuit & eggs scrambled with cheese and bacon

ferry to bainbridge island

bainbridge island

piroshky piroshky bakery: coffee cinnamon roll; beef and onion piroshky

Seattle Part 3

After a late night out, it was definitely difficult to get up the next morning. However, we forced ourselves awake because we had reservations to Lola, another one of Tom Douglas's restaurants and according to my friend, serves the best brunch. I can see why reservations are necessary because the large restaurant was already filled with people when we arrived. We got right down to business and got the made-to-order doughnuts with strawberry jam and vanilla mascarpone to share. They were bite-sized and little pillows of sugary dough. In pursuit of trying something I usually don't get or cook at home, I ordered the eggs benedict, which comes with the most glorious smashed garlic fried potatoes. I had a bite of my friend's summer squash & goat cheese omelette and golden brown pancakes as well and yes, it was a lot of food but way too delicious to stop eating.

eggs benedict: bavarian meats ham, dill hollandaise; smashed garlic fried potatoes

We had plans to go to Bumbershoot, a music festival, but none of us were particularly fond of the artists and decided that we'd rather spend the ticket cost on sushi. With a free afternoon and good weather, we went to a park nearby to play bocce ball.

Bhys Kracke Park

Afterwards, we went to Wasabi Bistro & Lounge for sushi and it was delicious. After a few days of fried foods and beer, I was craving fresh and clean foods. The roll menu was really long so it was a challenge to pick something but we all just ended up getting a bunch of rolls and the 20-piece chef choice sushi to share. No doubt my favorite was the uni nigiri.

wasabi bistro rolls and chef choice sushi

Seattle Part 2

Seattle day two has me obsessed with Top Pot Doughnuts, particularly the old-fasioned glazed. Coffee and doughnuts are a match made in doughnut heaven. I'm lso obsessed with Molly Moon's vegan coconut chunk ice cream in the best waffle cone I've ever had. Dare I say, Molly Moon's is better than the ice cream at Bi-Rite, Humphry Slocombe, and Smitten in SF.

Other notables were the view from the top of Kerry Park and playing anomia and drinking cider at Capitol Cider. I really liked the Capitol Hill social scene.

top pot doughnuts: old-fashioned glazed

pike place market

waterfront park

kerry park

molly moon's: vegan coconut chunk ice cream in a waffle cone

bike polo at cal anderson park

garage billiards bowling

anomia and sixknot organic gingerella at capitol cider